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My family and I on holiday in Mauritius, where my parents married

I was nominated by the lovely Lauren Blenkinsop of Tea and Post, a travel and lifestyle blog, to blog about the five cities I would most like to return to as part of Booked.net - Top Destinations To Go There. As someone whose whole life seems to be dedicated to making travel plans and saving hard for a number of adventures I have planned for next year, this is a great chance for me to reminisce over some previously amazing holidays and trips I have had with family and friends. I've been lucky enough to go on a number of amazing holidays and to travel a lot in my life, unfortunately I also have a pretty adventurous heart that tends to fall in love with most places I visit which means I always want to go back for more. Like Lauren, I never feel like I get enough time to really explore a place and always leave wanting more...

Port Louis, Mauritius

On my dad's side, my family come from Mauritius, and sadly because of the cost and the time needed for a holiday there, I have only been able to visit twice in my life. I love the country, its smells, colour, music and culture. I loved visiting the markets, walking the streets and visiting the temples in Port Louis, where my father was born, and where my family still live. To me, the country is summed up in a hot afternoon spent in my grandmother's yard eating mangoes picked fresh by my uncle from the overhanging trees, while my aunt and grandmother are cooking up a goat curry ready for when the whole family comes round that night for lots of chat and music.

Brussels, Belgium

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Image by Matthias Ripp

For my 18th birthday, my mum and I celebrated with a weekend away in Brussels together. We wanted to do something special and this was a great excuse to get away, spend some time together before I went off to university, and to eat lots of amazing food! The city is stunning, packed full of culture and amazing architecture. We spent the days walking endlessly around the city, shopping, and dining in gorgeous little restaurants run by families and full of delicious food. Such a multicultural city, we could eat French food for breakfast, Greek for lunch and Italian for dinner - it was fabulous. And don't get me started on the chocolate...

Valletta, Malta

valletta

A stunning city I visited while holidaying with the boyfriend in Mellieha a couple of summers ago. This city has such a long, rich history and we loved taking a trip to really experience a place that time seems to have forgotten. The buildings are stunning and I could look at them all day, in fact I did. I walked so much I felt like my feet would cave in, up and down the wonky streets, so full of character and old time magic. The churches and cathedral were beyond beautiful and you felt such a sense of peace walking through their silent rooms. I loved our day visit there but wished we had more time to explore at a slower pace, it would have been nice to spend more time exploring the culture.

New York, USA

little italyOf course, New York has to be in there, I love the city so much and despite having been about four times now, I still feel like I have so much more to discover. There is something about New York that has captured my heart and I just feel addicted to the atmosphere, the excitement and the possibilities that come with a trip to the big city. I will never get bored of the city and will always happily go back, but I plan to wait a while until my next visit - perhaps a visit to some other US cities is in order - San Francisco anyone?

Rome, Italy

Image by RaSeLaSeD - Il Pinguino

Image by RaSeLaSeD - Il Pinguino

Rome HAS to be on my list. I was lucky enough to go on a school trip to Italy, we travelled to Rome and did all the sights, then on to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. It was stunning, such a beautiful country, but I feel I was too young to really appreciate the incredible historical landmarks, the amazing food and the people. Plus being on a school trip meant what we had time to see was limited and filtered through schoolteachers. I actually heard of a job opportunity in Rome, working as a nanny for the children of the head of police, but sadly couldn't go for it as I had already decided to go travelling at that point and was saving. Rome is a city I would truly love to live and work in so I could really experience and throw myself into it.

My nominations:

1. Adventurous Kate

2. The Travel Hack

3. Tatty Travels

4. VickyFlipFlop Travels

5. The World Wanderer

Where would you most like to return to on your travels? Which city holds some serious magic for you?

Ab Lucy sign off

Booked.net - Top Destinations to Go There